Gospel of Matthew 7:6-12
The Sermon on the Mount [Part 12] - Knock and the Door Will Open
Do not give that which is holy to dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine; for they might trample them underfoot, and turn and maul you.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Everyone that asks, receives; and he that seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
What man is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
All things that you would have men do to you, do to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Notes on the Scripture
Dogs and swine were notoriously unclean animals to the Hebrews; dogs were forbidden by law to enter a temple. Christ warns us not to bother giving good news to those who are so mired in sin that they simply cannot hear it.
The second idea, that "everyone who asks, receives", is the counterpoint of the first. Christ acknowledges the importance of free will in salvation, by looking at gifts from the point of both the giver and the recipient. Those who do not seek God's gifts will not receive them, and those who have something to give are mistaken in giving it to those who neither want it nor will use it.
Finally, in this passage, Christ states the golden rule of doing unto others as you would have them do to you. If you act like a dog or a pig, expect to be treated like one. We set our own standards for our lives. Both in the present world and in the world to come, doors do not open until we knock on them.
